Electrical connection



March 6, 1934. A, E, ANDERSON 1,949,596

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION Filed Mafy 5, 1930 fn Vm for:

Vns

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONAlf E. Anderson, Milton, Mass.

Application May 5, 1930, Serial No. 449,897

8 Claims. (Cl. 173-361) This invention relates to an electricalconnection member of that character in which'the contact members areprotected at their front ends by a carrier of insulating material andare exl posed at their rear ends. Y

`The invention is herein shown as embodied in the plug member of a plugand socket electrical connection, and the electrical connection memberwill be hereinafter described as the plug member.

rlhe invention has for its object to provide the plug member with ahollow handle within which the rear portions of the contact members arelocated and electrically separated by an insulating Wall or partition. Yp

- The invention also has for its object to enable the hollow handle tobe made of relatively thin insulating material and at a minimum expense.

The invention further has for its object to safeguard the said hollowhandle and preferably also the contact carrier from being crushed orbroken by blows imparted to the plug member by the operator dropping thesame or by striking it againts a hard object.

For this latter purpose the thin hollow handle is provided with a sleeveof rubber or like material, which when applied to the thin hollow handlereinforces the latter, forms a cushion therefor, and makes aweather-tight fit therewith.

' The rubber or like cushioning sleeve may be relatively thin, flexibleand normally collapsible and is also relatively inexpensive.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in theclaims at the end of this $8 specification.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and plan of a plug member embodyingthis invention, the section being taken on the line 1--1, Fig. 3;

' Fig. 2, a longitudinal section and elevation of the plug member, thesection being taken on the line 2--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a cross section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, and

' Fig. 4, an end View of the plug member looking toward the left, Fig.1.

In the drawing is represented a known construction of plug membercomprising the contact members 10, 12 and a carrier therefor ofinsulating material, which carrier is usually of moldable material, andpreferably comprises a body portion 13 having at its rear end a head 14of larger diameter which forms with the body portion an annular shoulder15, and said body portion is provided at its front end with aeylindrical extension 16 of smaller diameter which forms with the bodyportion an annular shoulder 17, preferably beveled as herein shown.

The contact members 10, l2 have their rear portions extended through andbeyond the head 14 of the insulating carrier and are provided with 60terminal members 20, 2l to which the circuit wires or conductors, notshown, are soldered or otherwise secured.

The insulating carrier for the contact members 1G, 12 has co-operatingwith it a relatively 05 thin tube 22, preferably a fiber tube, which hasits front end extended over the head 14 of the said carrier andpreferably fits snugly on said head, and said ber tube is made ofsubstantial length to form a hollow handle for the plug member, whichmay be conveniently grasped by the hand of the operator.

The fiber tube 22 is preferably made of suicient length'to extend asubstantial distance beyond the terminal members 20, 21, and is madethin to reduce the cost of the same. The fiber tube 22 is preferablycircular in cross section and is made thin enough to be collapsed byhand and its shape changed from a circle into substantially the form ofan ellipse for the ready insertion therein of a partition or wall 24 offiber or other insulating material.

The partition wall 24 extends lengthwise of the tube 22 in the axialcenter thereof andv is secured to the tube 22 by lugs 25 on the oppo- 85site side edges of the partition or Wall 24 which enter slots 26 in thetube 22 when the pressure of the hand is removed from the tube and thelatter is automatically restored to its circular form by the resiliencyof the tube.

The partition or wall 24 is made of sufficient length to pass betweenthe terminals 20, 21 and the rear ends of the contact members 10, 12,and is preferably of such length as to enable its front end to engagethe head 14 of the insu- 95 lating contact carrier.

Provision is made for preventing the tube 22 being accidentallycollapsed so as to effect withdrawal of the locking lugs 25 from theirslots 26, and for this purpose the rear end of the tube 22 is reinforcedby a ring 28, preferably of fiber, which is inserted into the tube 22and is preferably of greater thickness than the tube 22.

The relatively thin tube 22 forms a hollow handle for the plug memberand in practice is frequently subjected to severe blows, as for instancewhen the plug member is withdrawn from its socket member and dropped bythe operator, 110

or when it is accidentally struck against a solid object while beinghandled by the operator.

These severe blows are liable to crush or break the relatively thinhollow handle or to chip or break on" portions of the insulating contactearrier and especially the head 14 and body portion 13 thereof, whichwould impair the usefulness of the plug member.

To avoid such results, the plug member is provided with a cushioningmember of rubber or like material, and said cushioning member ispreferably made of soft rubber and relatively thin, so as to enable itsfront end to be made of smaller diameter than the diameter of the hollowhandle or tube 22, and enable the front end of the rubber cushioningmember to be expanded sufficiently to permit it to be pulled over therear end of the hollow handle 22, and when released to contract and iitsnugly the body por tion 13 of the contact carrier.

The cushioning member is provided with a body portion 30, which isdesigned to cover the hollow handle 22 and is provided at its front endwith an extension 31 of smaller diameter, which is designed to fit thebody portion 13 of the contact carrier and form with the body portion 30an internal annular shoulder 33 which co-operates with the head 14 toassist in retaining the cushioning member in its operative position onthe hollow handle 22, which latter is preferably provided at its frontend with an inturned annular lip 34 which engages the annular shoulder15 of the head 14 and with which lip the internal shoulder 33 of thecushioning member is engaged.

The extension 3l of the cushioning member is provided with an inturnedannular lip 35 which engages the shoulder 17 of the contact carrier andaids in retaining the cushioning member in its operative position.

The cushioning member is provided at its rear end with a tubularextension 36 of materially smaller diameter than the body portion 30 andpreferably of such diameter as will iit substantially tight upon thecable or circuit wires, not shown, which extend therethrough into thehollow handle and are connected with the circuit terminals 20, 21 in amanner well understood.

The front end of the tubular extension 36 is made flaring or taperingoutwardly and is united with the rear end of the body portion 30, andsaid rear end is preferably made of greater thickness as at 38, so as toprovide a cushion of increased thickness for the rear 0r free end of thehollow handle 22.

The aring end of the tubular extension 36 is designed to engage the rearend of the hollow handle 22, and limit the movement of the cushioningmember in a forward direction thereon.

The cushioning member is capable of being expanded at its front end topermit it to be slipped over the hollow handle 22 of larger diameter andis extensible so that it can be stretched to have the shoulder 33 andthe lip 35 co-operate with the shoulders l5 and 1'7 to retain thecushioning member in its extended condition and thereby cause thecushioning member to fit weather-tight upon the hollow handle 22 and thebody portion of the Contact carrier, and also to retain the cushioningmember in its operative position on the said handle and contact carrier.

One embodiment of the invention is herein shown, but it is not desiredto limit the invention to the particular construction shown.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier,contact members carried thereby and having their rear ends extendedbeyond the same, a tube fitted upon said contact carrier 8G and extendedtherefrom beyond the rear ends of said contact members and provided withsubstantially diametrically opposite slots, a partition wall extendedlengthwise of said tube and having lugs extended into said slots, and arelatively thin flexible cushioning member having a body portion ttedover said tube and an extension of smaller diameter fitted upon saidcontact carrier, and a rearwardly extended portion of smaller diameterextended beyond the rear end of said tube and provided, with a flaringfront end united with the body portion of said cushioning member.

2. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, arelatively thin tube slidably fitted upon and supported by said contactcarrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a cushioning memberenveloping said tube and the rear portion of said contact carrier andhaving at its rear end a tubular extension of smaller diameter extendedbeyond the rear end of said tube.

3. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, arelatively thin tube slidably fitted upon and supported by said contactcarrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a cushioning memberenveloping said tube and having 105 its front end engaged with saidcontact carrier and its rear end extended beyond the rear end of saidtube and engaged therewith.

4. In an electrical connection, in combination, a Contact carrier havingcontact members extended beyond the rear end thereof, a relatively thintubular member supported by and extended rearwardly of said contactmembers and within which said contact members are located, an insulatingwall located in said tubular member and interposed between said contactmembers, and an extensible cushioning member covering said tubularmember and having its front end engaged with said Contact carrier andits rear end co-operating with the rear end of said tubular member tohold 1120 the cushioning member in its extended condition on saidtubular member and contact carrier.

5. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, arelatively thin tube slidably iitted upon and supported by said contactcarrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, a cushioning memberenveloping said tube, and an insulating wall extended lengthwise of thesaid tube and cooperating with the tube and with the contact carrier tolimit rearward movement of the latter in said tube.

6. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, ahollow handle into which the said contact carrier is extended tov besupported thereby, an extensible cushioning member enveloping saidhollow handle and engaged therewith and with said contact carrier andtending to move the contact carrier within the hollow handle, and meanswithin the hollow handle co-operating with the contact carrier forlimiting movement of 140 the latter within the hollow handle.

'7, In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, arelatively thin tube of insulating material slidably fitted upon saidcontact carrier and extended rearwardly therefrom and provided withsubstantially diametrically opposite slots, a partition wall located insaid tube and having lugs extended into said slots and a cushioningmember enveloping said tube.

8. In an electrical connection, in combination, 15g

tween said contact members, and an extensible cushioning memberenveloping said tube and engaged therewith and with said contact carrierand having a tubular extension projecting beyond the reinforced end or"said tube and of smaller diameter than the latter.

ALF E. ANDERSON.

